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Monday, February 3, 2014

Word of the Year and a New Look

I know, I'm a month late with choosing my word of the year. But, to be fair, we have had a good bit going on, you know, with moving overseas and all.

I should clarify by saying I have chosen wordS of the year. Plural. As in two words of the year.

Bold/Still

They may seem slightly contradictory but I assure you, they are not.

I focused on the word "Still," months ago when I felt the pressure and stress from our approaching move mounting. Again and again I had friends going through trials and I would refer them to the verse in Psalm 46:10 that says:

"Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted among the earth."

Each time I would feel a peace about our own situation and could rest in that stillness when I remembered that God will be exalted. If our own purpose on earth is to bring glory and to exalt God, then whatever change in the map of life that comes my way is for that purpose.

I knew my word for the year was going to be "Still." This was a trait that I wanted to strive for, to think on, and to help me focus on the sovereignty of God. We have alot of changes coming in our lives this year, especially in these first 2-3 months, and I had a real peace that this was something I needed to focus on.

I was surprised when the word "Bold," came to mind a few days after the New Years. I became greatly convicted about how my lack of boldness in certain areas of my life was leaving me without vision, identity, and purpose. I went to Scripture to see what boldness could be found there and time and again I found people being bold despite opposition and logic saying they should be otherwise.

Boldness with relationships, personal goals, language learning, social situations, and more will help me to reach the goals that I have placed before myself and I know that acting cowardly or hiding behind the veil of shyness or introvertedness will only hinder me. (note: there is a real time and place when those characteristics do affect how you act, but I know when I hide behind them instead of working with them.)

Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion."

I am so excited to see how the Lord uses these words to grow and stretch me this year, and to see how His presence is affirmed again and again.

Also, thanks for sticking with me as I update the look of the blog! It's coming along but definitely needs some tweaking!